<p>UMCP is correct and so is Kill. UMD is a nationally ranked public university and if you are from Washington state with intentions of going back to Washington when you graduate, you will probably be best to go to Washington since recruiters from Washington will not be at UMD. UMD has great connections even in the NY area because it is very popular. Obviously if your intention is to go into govt and politics UMD is great, especially if you get into scholars, gemstone or honors since you are required to do an internship. UMD is reknown for engineering and it doesn’t hurt that NASA is around the corner in MD. If you go to Smith, it doesn’t hurt that it is 18 in the world. It doesn’t hurt if you are in finance and want to work for the Treasury or the Fed to be a train ride away, instead of the West coast where they have no connection to the business world.</p>
<p>If you want to go into journalism, again it doesn’t hurt that you can take a train ride to DC and intern for any news organization covering the WH, or intern in NYC because many UMD grads are from that area, thus there are alumni connections.</p>
<p>It’s all about your intentions after you graduate. Even if it is for an MBA/MBOM, if you have Smith behind you that carries weight since it is internationally recognized by USNWR.</p>
<p>I know many kids that have had great internships and summer jobs due to the fact that they are UMD students, astro’s dd has a great engineering internship, ds’s best friend worked on the hill for a congressman (not his), our DS will be interning also, but has yet to make his choice whether he will do it at the Pentagon or on the hill for the military liasion (he is govt pol major with a dual in military science)</p>
<p>It really is all about what you make of it. UMD has a strong reputation, especially with all the government agencies, and all along the east coast. It also requires that you set yourself apart; get to know your professors, get good grades, etc. so that your strength is what opens doors. </p>
<p>D2 will be majoring in Environmental Sciences/Policy and the head of that program told her than currently 60% of the people in the major (jr/sr) are interning/have had internships in DC.</p>
<p>D1 started working part-time under a joint UMD/NASA program at Goddard Space Flight Center as a sophomore. This summer, she’s a full-time intern, in a program that is extremely competitive (across the country – 7% accept rate), also at NASA’s Goddard. (haha, though, I will correct bullet…she’s a scientist, not an engineer, as she is particularly quick to correct anyone who suggests otherwise!!!) </p>
<p>UMD should get an “x” in the “good reputation” column as you’re making decisions on where to go to school.</p>
<p>UMD is a Tier 1 school, according to USNWR. And as the 18th best public school in the nation, it is not a no-name Tier 1 school, either. </p>
<p>Grad schools recognize that not everyone can afford a private or out-of-state price tag, and that UMD’s workload is comparable to other major universities. Also note that rankings for certain programs, such as engineering, comp sci, journalism, business, etc. UMD ranks higher than it does on the “general” school scale. </p>
<p>Grad school admissions are almost point and shoot GPA+test score (GRE, LSAT, MCAT, etc.) combo. Resume factors in, too. Name of the school you attend is one of the least important factors.</p>
<p>Coolbreeze, I assume you realize that it’s not the name of the undergrad program that gets someone into grad school. The research and internship opportunities at UMD,the strength of the faculty (and associated recommendations from them), and extremely high GPA, will make someone as competitive going into a graduate school as anyone.</p>